NOAA 2010 Hurricane Outlook

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Running time 2:07

Dr. Gerry Bell, the Lead Seasonal Hurricane Forecaster at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, talks about the 2010 Revised Hurricane Outlook and the importance of coastal residents having a preparedness plan.

Transcript

2010 Outlook:

NOAA just updated its seasonal hurricane outlook on August 5th. For the season as a whole, we are now indicating 14 to 20 named storms, of which we expect 8 to 12 to become hurricanes, and 4 to 6 to become major hurricanes. So this is a lot of activity, and it’s reiterating the outlook we already indicated in May, and that was for a high expectation for a very active season.

Coastal Build-Up:

There’s been a tremendous build-up along our coastline, both the Gulf Coast and East Coast of the United States, in the last 30 years. That has coincided since 1995 with a sharp increase in hurricane activity. The increased coastal development is a very real concern because every time a hurricane threatens or strikes, so many more people are now in harm’s way.

Coastal residents need to understand that if a hurricane threatens, they are their first line of defense, not the federal government or state or local government. It’s often several days in a bad hurricane before any help can even get to you. So it is important that you, as a coastal resident, are prepared for these various scenarios with the hurricane.

We’re now getting into the peak of what could be a very active hurricane season, so it’s important that these residents make sure their plan is in place and that they’re ready to act if a hurricane threatens.